A history of recurrent wheezing can delay the diagnosis of foreign body aspiration in a paediatric emergency department.

Foreign body aspiration (FBA) into the airways is a potentially life-threatening event, and more frequent in children younger than 3 years of age; it can mimic other diseases by its frequently non-specific clinical and radiological presentation. The commonest misdiagnoses in children are asthma and recurrent respiratory tract infections with wheezing. This often makes it particularly difficult for a timely and proper diagnosis, especially when there is a silent history of FBA (not a rare occurrence in the age group at highest risk).